Player's Dilemma
by Shinra-ex-SOLDIER
Summary: The Game is just one big rigged "Prisoner's Dilemma". (Disregarding Solo Remix) Why do partners fight in different planes? Written in Mr. H's POV.


**Player's Dilemma**

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

The Game is just one big rigged "Prisoner's Dilemma". (Disregarding Solo Remix) Why do partners fight in different planes? Written in Mr. H's POV.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

Hiya, boss! Need a cuppa?

…

…

Sigh… Slow day today too, huh?

If I weren't diggin' them beans o' mine then I wouldn't be runnin' this joint in the first place. But look where I am now. So this must be that "true love" thing that's all the craze these days.

Woah, now. Don't judge me. To each our own, right?

While you're here, why not buy yourself a cuppa? I kid, you're one tough customer. What d'ya say to a trade? Buy something from me that ain't dirt cheap and I'll throw in one snazzy secret that only a professional coffee joint owner like me would know. Guaranteed worth your money. Something like a deep and dark or well, ya know, mysterious. What? Hey, I can be pretty deep too. Yeah, you heard right. _Be _not _act_.

Man, you sure drive a hard bargain. People like you get people like me broke and _I'm_ the one with a job. I need to make a living too ya know. Alright, I'll throw in a true to life (or death, your call) experience on the house.

So do we have a deal?

Pleasure doing business with you. I'll just put your change in the tip jar. Thanks, boss!

Now about that secret. Know anything 'bout the _Prisoner's dilemma_? It's a game theory. Yeah, not with a capital G but we'll get there in a minute. Say there's two pipz, Espresso and Cappuccino, minding their own biz when a cop takes them to the precinct. Unfortunately, there was a stick 'em up and these two are suspects but they ain't got anything to hold 'em down. The cops want their crook though so they come up with somethin'.

Both guys get thrown into separate cells. They can't see, hear or talk to each other. The cop offers Espresso a deal. "Tell ya what. Don't say anything, fine by me. But if your buddy rats you out, he'll be free while you get 10 years. Tough luck, that's what you get trusting some nobody. If you rat him out and he keeps quiet then serves him right and you'll be free while he gets the 10 years.

Then let's say you both tell on each other. I'll be nice and you each get just 5 years. Not bad, right? And if you both don't say anything at all then you're both free to go. So which is it, buddy?" The cop says the same thing to Cappuccino who's in another cell. Both of them need to decide what to do next without knowing what the other would do.

Would they ally or betray?

_Ideally_, the best way out of this is to just keep quiet and hope for the best that your newly acquainted friend's thinking the same. Perfect ending since they both get out and maybe get a cuppa here. But it ain't that simple. _Rationally, _the best thing to do is to rat out the sorry stranger. Gotta save one's ass first, right? Trusting someone that he'll pick the same good answer is one hellavuh risk. Either freedom or 10 years. So even if the reward for picking ally is oh so sweet there's the chance that you'll end up bitter. Catch my drift? But if you tell on your soon to be new hater then you're pretty much making a safe bet. Either 5 years or freedom. Stack 'em numbahs and ya know the rest. It's like choosing five versus ten years. The dilemma's one big bad cup of joe. It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Lemme fill ya 'nother cuppa. Sheesh, discounted.

The whole Game's pretty much founded on this. Mostly. You know how casinos are supposed to give ya a "fair game" or 50/50 chance but really they're not. The Game's rigged too. Going back to the story, say there was an accident and the precinct caught fire. No one survived. Let's pause for a moment to grieve…

And welcome to Shibu's Game! Conveniently, Espresso and Cappuccino somehow end up as partners. Remember that when players fight, they don't see each other? One gets transported to another plane but they're just fighting against the same enemy. Kinda like how they were prisoners taken to separate cells and they're both trying to prove their innocence or fighting the cop. So this is where the _Prisoner's dilemma _ends and what I would like to creatively call the _Player's dilemma _starts.

Partners share the same fate. Losing your partner gets your death warrant signed. If they both ally- no, _trust_- if they both trust each other then they survive. If they both betray each other then they're both goners. But if one of them thinks he's such a smart ass who can win without a partner and betrays his partner then he's fed to the Noise. Did I miss anything? Short and simple stuff.

So what do they get when you betray each other? A whole world o' pain. Actually, they won't feel anything at all I guess since they'll get erased. Permanently.

Ya see, the whole dilemma's just a trick question. There was no other option in the first place. It's always trust. You have to be a total jackass not to go with that. So in a sense, the Game's actually good that way. Even if you do betray and say survive, you still got a place to go, the Reapers, but really, do you want that? I'd rather reap what I sow than souls.

I see that you still need convincing. Hey, I don't blame you. If the Game really was all good then why not just bring everybody back to life? Heh, I wish. Things just don't work that way. I'd say overpopulation was one thing but it ain't the case. The higher ups decide here so that's that.

But think about this. When you start the Game, you get to choose the partner. Ever thought why you weren't just assigned with someone in the first place? This is to increase your chances of survival. They could've teamed you up with a total jerk and practically doom everyone to lose but nah, they didn't. You can choose your partner, a person you can trust. It's the only way to survive and win. Your only ticket to live again. The _Player's dilemma _is all about one thing.

And what did I tell ya? Trust your partner.

~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~~xoxo~xoxo~

**Shinra-ex-SOLDIER**

* * *

Okay, I promise this will be my last fanfic inspired by fangirling over Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward.  
...Or not. I can still do the Chinese Room... Should I?  
Yes, I've written it in first person POV because I'm lazy. And crazy.

Then I got really lazy and didn't write an omake. Sorry about that.

Really, I'm thinking of VLR and then I write TWEWY. What is wrong with me? Don't answer that.

Thanks for reading anyways. Ciao!


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